On Jan. 18, the American Council of Engineering Companies of Washington awarded the city of Bremerton and HDR Engineering a silver Engineering Excellence Award for the Bremerton Ultraviolet Water Treatment Facility.

This facility was planned by the city of Bremerton, designed by HDR Engineering and constructed in 2011. Ultraviolet water disinfection, along with chlorine, provides effective treatment to meet new federal safe drinking water regulations and allows Bremerton to ensure a high quality water supply while keeping water rates lower. Funding for this project was $6 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

“Partnering with HDR Engineering helped the city be ‘shovel ready’ when the stimulus funding opportunity arose, provided an effective facility design, and assisted during construction,” said Ned Lever, Bremerton managing engineer.

“Bremerton is fortunate to have a truly remarkable resource in its excellent drinking water,” said Kathleen Cahall, Bremerton Water Resources Manager.

Bremerton serves over 55,000 people with its Union River source – one of the few approved unfiltered surface supplies in the country. EPA recognized this project with a Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Award in 2011.

“Investing in our tap water systems is a smart investment that will pay off for generations,”  Cahall said. “This project is a good example of the stimulus funding program objective since what is good for our health and safety can also be good for our economy.”